A lot of people like mixed drinks. Ray's Cosmopolitan recipe reminded me of when I was a kid, my parents had parties, and all of the ladies drank Cosmos. A friend recently came to my house and created a concoction of Rye, syrup, absynthe, and maybe something else which was quite interesting. And I can remember enjoying White Russians in my day. However, I guess my approach has changed. Now, bear in mind that I rarely drink alcohol - a bottle in my house will last years. For me, though, the perfect recipe is as follows:

*this recipe only works if you use "good" bourbon. I can start another thread to define what constitutes GOOD bourbon, but it's not made in Tennessee. Actually, NO bourbon is made in Tennessee. And it's OK to substitute WhistlePig The Boss Hog Rye.

My favorite recipe is nearly the same, except it's malted barley for me; only single malt scotch whisky in this house! My recipe also includes a few drops of water and some squares of chili infused chocolate to pair with the drink. Enjoyable evening guaranteed.

I'm not very picky, I like everything from the super peaty to the very floral. Which I drink depends on the season and my mood, and which bottles happen to have something left in them!

Good bourbon and pretty much any single malt Scots whiskey should not be mixed with anything. Ice at the very most.

Ice in a single malt is criminal. I've visited a number of distilleries in the Highlands and during the testing session at the end of it they really really stress that a few drops of water is all it needs at the very most! Save the ice for the blends.

Ice in a single malt is criminal. I've visited a number of distilleries in the Highlands and during the testing session at the end of it they really really stress that a few drops of water is all it needs at the very most! Save the ice for the blends.

Ice is unacceptable in bourbon as well. Really, it's a sin against any good whiskey.